Zwetschgenkuchen (German Plum Cake)

Written on 8 September, 2016

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While plums can be found in stores throughout the year, in celebration of plum season I want to share a traditional German plum cake with you. Depending on which region of Germany you’re in, it’s called Zwetschgenkuchen, Zwetschgendatschi, Quetschekuche or Pflaumenkuchen. I know, they’re all tongue-twisters :)

Variations exist throughout Germany where some versions are made with a shortcrust pastry versus a yeast dough, some have streusel and some do not, some are round and some are rectangular. But they all celebrate the plump, juicy, sweet European plum, also known as Italian plums.

Augsburg, a city in Bavaria northwest of Munich and one of the oldest cities in Germany, claims to have invented the original German plum cake, which they call Zwetschgendatschi. It’s the city’s signature dish. While variations exist even within Augsburg, the original version is made with shortcrust pastry and without any streusel.

The version we’re making today is my personal favorite and is typical of the area I’m from of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg. It’s made with yeast dough and sprinkled with streusel and it can be found throughout Germany.

Zwetschgenkuchen typically calls for Italian plums (aka, European plums) and they are the variety most ideal for cooking not only because of their texture but also because their flavor becomes more complex through cooking. Italian plum season is short, usually from September through early October.

This type of Zwetschgenkuchen, as with the Augsburger style plum cake, is typically made on a Backblech (a baking sheet) versus in a springform, though many round versions exist as well.

We are fortunate to have several fruit trees on our property, including three Italian plum trees. It’s amazing how much fruit one plum tree can produce, you don’t realize how much until you start picking!

Aren’t those plump purple globes simply gorgeous?

I set a lofty goal of not letting any of the plums go to waste (very lofty, but I’m determined) and in the last two weeks I’ve been busy at work processing plums in every way I’ve been able to think of. Our family is big into long-term food storage so I’ve also been doing a lot of canning. I’ve been canning plums halves, making plum butter, plum preserves, plum sauce, Chinese plum sauce, making homemade prunes (dehydrating) and freezing them. Whew! Next up I’m making plum leather.

Can you think of any other ways to put bulk quantity plums to use? I’d love to hear them!

I’ve turned it into a family effort and our 4 and 6 year old kids have been helping me cut and de-seed the plums. So far we’ve processed over 150 pounds and there’s still a lot more to come!

So if you’re ever in the neighborhood and need some plum products, you know where to come!

This is the second batch of Zwetschgenkuchen I’ve made in the past two weeks and with as many plums as we still have left, I have a feeling it won’t be the last. Over 150 pounds down and probably double that left to go, really I should just set up a plum products business ;)

Fruit- and yeast-based cakes are a German hallmark and this Zwetschgenkuchen is a perfect example. It’s not overly sweet, has a touch of tartness to it, a small hint of cinnamon, and that luscious yeast dough.

This cake holds up well the next day or two and is even more flavorful as the juices from the plums penetrate the dough.

Let’s get started!

Dissolve the yeast into the warm milk and let is sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy. (The pic below is before the frothy stage)

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and pour in the yeast mixture, melted warm (not hot) butter, eggs and vanilla extract. Give it an initial stir to combine the ingredients and then attach a dough hook and knead it on the bread setting (“2”) for 4-5 minutes.

The dough will be sticky but should hold together fairly well. It will not be firm enough to knead into a ball, think of it more as a thick batter.

Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm, draft free place to rise for an hour or until about doubled in size.

Generously butter a large jelly roll pan (at least 18 inches in length and 1 inch sides but even then the crust will be thicker than with the Backblech – see below) or, like I’m using and as pictured below, a German Backblech.

Backblechs are adjustable baking pans that are very common in Germany. They’re fantastic because you can adjust them by sliding them in and out to any length you want clear down to a smaller square. They’re really versatile. The one I have I brought with me from Germany. Virtually every sheet type of German cake calls for using a Backblech.

Generously butter your Backblech or sheet pan and place the risen dough on it.

Use your hands to spread the dough out across the full length of the pan, pressing it up against the sides. It’s yeast dough so it will resist, but just keep pushing it back into position the best you can. Once you put the plums on it, those will help keep it in place.

Time for the plums!

The riper the plums the sweeter the cake will be. However, if they’re overly ripe – meaning mushy – they’ll be even mushier on the finished baked product.

Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. Then slice the plums in half again, slicing each plum into quarters.

Lay the plums close together in rows over the whole length of the dough on the sheet pan.

If you want your cake a bit sweeter you can sprinkle it *lightly* with sugar or cinnamon-sugar if you prefer more cinnamon. I emphasize “lightly” because the more sugar you add the more watery the cake will be as the sugar liquifies during baking and your streusel will also “melt” in contact with it.

Set the pan in a warm place and let it rise for up to another hour.

Next it’s time to make the streusel. Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and use your fingers to bring it all together. Work with the mixture until it’s thoroughly combined and forms a rough sand and clumpy texture.

Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the cake.

Bake the cake on the middle rack of the oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.

Let the cake sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing to let some of the liquid set.

Slice the cake into squares.

A tool that I use that’s really handy and works like a charm for sheet cakes and many other things is the OXO Multi-Purpose Scraper & Chopper. It glides right through without scratching up your pan.

Dissolve the yeast into the 3/4 cup warm milk and let is sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy.

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and pour in the yeast mixture, melted warm (not hot) butter, eggs and vanilla extract. Give it an initial stir to combine the ingredients and then attach a dough hook and knead it on the bread setting ("2") for 4-5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup milk as necessary. (The dough will be sticky but should hold together fairly well. It will not be firm enough to knead into a ball, think of it more as a thick batter.) Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm, draft free place to rise for an hour or until about doubled in size.

Generously butter a German Backblech extended to full length or a large jelly roll pan (at least 18 inches in length and 1 inch sides but even then the crust will be thicker than with the Backblech).

Use your hands to spread the dough out across the full length of the pan, pressing it up against the sides. (It's yeast dough so it will resist, but just keep pushing it back into position the best you can. Once you put the plums on it, those will help keep it in place.) Lay the plums close together in rows over the whole length of the dough on the sheet pan. (If you want your cake a bit sweeter you can sprinkle it *lightly* with sugar or cinnamon-sugar if you prefer more cinnamon. I emphasize "lightly" because the more sugar you add the more watery the cake will be as the sugar liquifies during baking and your streusel will also "melt" in contact with it.)

Set the pan in a warm place and let it rise for up to another hour.

To make the streusel: Place all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and use your fingers to bring it all together. Work with the mixture until it's thoroughly combined and forms a rough sand and clumpy texture. Sprinkle the streusel over the top of the cake.

Bake the cake on the middle rack of the oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.

Let the cake sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing to let some of the liquid set. Slice the cake into squares and serve.

Recipe Notes

*This cake holds up well for a day or two and is even more flavorful once the juices have absorbed into the dough.

97 Responses

Oh my gosh your pictures are just gorgeous and I’m drooling looking at the cake! I used to have a friend in Sacramento who would always had an excess of plums. We would get together and make everything under the sun! Plum Jam was always one of those – I see youv’e made butter, but have you made jam? Might be a new idea, though pretty sure you have everything covered! :D

Where do you find the time, 150 pounds of plums, you must see them in your sleep. I see you dehydrated some. I did cherries after I read your post on all thing cherries, best dried cherries I ever had. I love the expanding pan now that looks like a winner. This looks delicious and as always your history and photoghaphy are beautiful. Wish I was your neighbor, but then you would not have had any plums.

I’ve been processing a couple of batches each day for the past week and a half. My kids help me slice and pit them and I put a batch in the dehydrator and a batch in the slow cooker (I’ve got two going at once). And in between I’ve done some more projects like Chinese plum sauce and plum butter. Also canning sliced plum halves so I can have the larger pieces to make more Zwetschgenkuchen and other desserts in the Winter :) We’ve been getting through them at a good pace at that rate. But I’ve found the best way to use up the most plums all at once is making plum sauce (like apple sauce). I add it to baked goods the same way I would add apple sauce for a source of fruit and a touch of natural sweetness. Plus it’s just a great addition to our long-term emergency food storage. Still looking for and discovering news ways to use them. And you bet, if you were my neighbor I would be more than happy to share the wealth! :)

Oh, wow! I’m in awe of your culinary accomplishments with all your beautiful plums, and of course this lovely, lovely cake! We had a plum tree when I was a kid, but it didn’t yield as much fruit as yours :) How lucky you are to have them!

Now that is a lot of plums! I am kind of jealous… and also not. ;) I hate to waste good fresh fruit too, so I know I would also be scrambling to find ways to preserve them. This cake looks absolutely amazing! :)

I’ve not been to many countries but when hubby and I first got married we traveled to Europe and Munic Germany was our first stop! In fact I loved it more than traveling to Italy and I’m Italian! SO clean, such a beautiful place and these plums are gorgeous, what a cake!

This is my husband’s favorite fruit and favorite cake! He happened to see me opening this page and gasped. He also asked me to make this for him but I had to refuse due to German / American flour issues. ;)

Are Italian plums easy to find in stores in the US? He wants to know. :D

Perfect timing, Erin, because the plums are now in season! :) The Italian plum season is really short, generally September through early October, so it’s a small window of opportunity to grab them. It depends on the grocery store, but yes, you can find them there, especially at farmer’s markets. By the way, I just use regular all-purpose flour for this cake and it turns out perfectly. So I don’t think you have much of an excuse to deny your husband ;)

Hi Kimberly. Yes, between my Mother and two German Grandmothers I have learned to use most of their recipes. Thank GOD, Dr. Oetker baking ingredients are readily available because many of the recipes are in his well-worn German cookbooks.

Wow! What an amazing dessert. I always learn something new when I stop by your blog. I love plumbs, but don’t think I can get these little Italian Plumbs here in West Virginia. I’ll keep looking for them, though, this sounds wonderful!

Wow! That adjustable pan is something…never saw anything like it. I am going to buy one immediately. My mother used to make this cake, but with muerbe teig(I know that isn’t spelled right). Our plum tree did not survive our very cold winter last year, but I saw some at the supermarket. Now my mouth is watering….we always ate ours with whipped cream. Talk about gilding the lily, lol. My mother made this with peaches, too. You know, I had forgotten all about it until now. Thanks so much for the recipe.

Those Backblech’s are fabulous, Gudrun, yet another example of German ingenuity :) Yes, Mürbteig – that’s what I was referring to when I said some versions are made with shortcrust pastry. It’s delicious as well but I’m very partial to the wonderful flavor and texture of yeast dough. Same here, I make this recipe with peaches and apricots also. It’s a very versatile base cake recipe. So sorry to hear about your plum tree, I hope it recovers for next year! In the meantime, I hope you’re able to find some of these plums and enjoy a walk down memory lane with this cake!

I almost can’t look at this whilst sitting at work as I have an insatiable desire to make and eat this right away as it is my all-time favourite German cake (or maybe a close second after Mohnstreusel). I will have to see if these plums are available in the shops here in Norway. Thanks for posting the recipe :0)

Hi Katie, greetings to Norway and I’m so glad you mentioned the Mohn Streuselkuchen! That’s one my favorites as well and I had written a note to remind myself to make it to post on my blog but completely forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder! :) You think you have it bad at work – it’s time for me to go to bed and now I have to lay here while my stomach rumbles for that Mohnkuchen :)

Ach! Meiner Vater liebt Pflaummenkuchen! :) My grandfather is from just south of Stuttgart (Grotzingen, bei Aichtal), and this was one of his favorites when my grandmother had access to fresh plums. To this day, my dad waxes poetic about his mom’s version. This looks incredible–I’ll have to share it with him!

I heard about this cake but still couldn’t find nice recipe (and in English :))… thx for sharing this. Can’t wait to try it in my kitchen. Adore your garden with that plum tree… I wish I was living near by you.. I would bring 1 empty bucket to fill with those plums :D

I just made your cake and it is delicious. I used to live in Stuttgart and this one was one of my favorites among other great German bake goods. Love the yeast dough. Can it be used as a base for apple cake?

I’m being looking for good recipe for German plum cake Zwetschgenkuchen and I finally found on your website This cake looks delicious and I making this weakend I have my friends from Germany ( visiting) so I will surprise them and they can be a critics how it turns out. Because the Italian plum season is short I was wondering if I made couple of cakes and freezes some for lather use its the cake still by OK? I think if I pre-cook maybe halfway then cool wrapped in ceramics wrap and freeze then when I needed cook from frozen till done or I should freeze before cooking? Anyone have any suggestions? Please let my know! Loreta

Hi Loreta, I’m so glad you found my site – welcome! I’m sure your friends will be very impressed :) If you bake it completely and then cool it, it should freeze pretty well, except that the streusel will lose its crunch. If your plums can hold out until your friends arrive I would suggest waiting. Storing the plums in the crisper drawer in the fridge will prolong their life. Let us know how it goes!

This was one of my favorite cakes growing up. However, instead of streusel my Oma used something she call einbrein. Have you heard about that? I would like to find a recipe for that topping. It was more like a sauce that hardened upon baking. Any idea where I could look for that recipe?

Hi Sue, do you mean Einbrenn? Einbrenn is a roux, so it’s made by melting butter and adding an equal amount of flour, whisking it until it’s golden, then pouring in milk and continuing to whisk until it’s a creamy mixture. It’s what’s used to thicken sauces and I’ve never heard of it being used as a topping for cake. Another common topping for Zwetschgenkuchen is a layer of vanilla custard that firms up when it’s baked, but it isn’t called Einbrenn, einbrein, or anything similar to that.

Yes,it was a type of roux. She would sprinkle the sugar over the plums and then pour the sauce over the cake. Maybe it was designed to absorb the juice from the plums. Oma was German born in Serbia. I don’t think milk was very plentiful. All of her sauces were made with water instead of milk so butter for streusel may not have been available. Thank you for your reply, Kimberly!

I just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe. I used to buy a piece of this delicious cake every weekend from a German baker who had a stall at our local farmers market. I have since moved to another town, so I searched on the Internet for quite a while to find a recipe so I could make it myself, and finally stumbled across your recipe. Made it last weekend and it looked, smelt and tasted exactly the same as the one I used to buy, it turned out perfect! And it was really easy to make as well. Will try another one of your recipes next weekend!

As a young girl, going to German School in the 60’s in San Francisco to keep up with the language, I loved eating this plum kuchen at the various celebration and events. Your photos look exactly as I remembered it. I love yeast cakes and breads and this one is no exception. I will make it tomorrow with my Satsuma plums which are a bit juicier than the recipe sites. Thanks for posting this recipe!

Hi Kimberly, just went to the German Fest in Huntington Beach California, of course had to have the Zwetschgunkuchen, delicious. I bought one slice that was made with the yeast dough then I bought one a whole one at the bakery that was made with a butter crust, both delicious but I’m all about tradition so I’m making yours. I have one question about the backblech, usually when a baking pan is dark it has a tendency to overbake things, do you lower the temp in your oven to accommodate this? I like how it is expandable. Just to let your readers know Costco wholesale sells the plums when they are in season. I’m going to buy some today and try your recipe. Thank you for posting!

Hi Trudy, yes, it can have a tendency to overbake the bottom of the cake and so you’ll want to make sure you bake it on the middle shelf, not the bottom. Even so, expect a light brown crust. I also check it a couple of times a few minutes early to check for doneness. Thanks for the tip on the Costco plums and happy baking! :)

I wish I could find those certain plums anywhere. I found some called French plums today at the farmers market. The taste is just like the german plums, but the are much smaller. It’ll have to do. Making zwetschken kuchen tomorrow 😍😍😍, can’t wait!

It is 10:30 pm on a Saturday night and my whole house smells like heaven! I have two of these cakes in the oven for the last 5 minutes and couldn’t help myself so I took one out and cut the smallest square from the corner. My daughter, husband, and I couldn’t wait to taste it. OH my gosh you have just made everyone in my house so happy!! My kids were born in Germany. We are a military family and have made at least 10 moves in their lives. The oldest is 21! Every place that we have lived is tied to a food and this cake is Germany. My two boys (17 &18 yrs) are celiacs so I had to tweak the flours a bit. It was so worth it! I made one large cookie sheet and a half cookie sheet. Ill be lucky if there is any left for breakfast. Thank you so much for the recipe and the excitement for one of the yummiest memories of Germany!! I would love to rate this a perfect 10!! <3<3<3

If is was legal here, Zwetchgenwasser – Plum Brandy. My cousin’s husband in Pfullingen has a friend in B-W, Germany who has a distillers license and makes it from their Italian Plums out of their orchard. I suppose people here might call it Plum Schnapps.

Try using the batter recipe from Dr. Oetker’s apple cake. My mom used to use this batter for this plum cake when she didn’t have enough time to wait for the yeast dough to rise, etc. I’m not good with yeast either, and my dough rose, but did not double in size and mine still turned out great. Like Kimberly said, give it another try.

Try this yeast dough recipe. The dough doesn’t need to rise before baking. 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk, 7 ounces (200g) butter, 3 1/2 cup (500g) all-purpose flour, 2 cubes fresh yeast, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup (160g) granulated sugar. Dissolve the butter in warm milk on the stove (let it get warm, not hot) Sift the flour into a bowl, make a hollow in the flour, add the butter-milk-mixture. Add the yeast (breake it into crumbs) and the eggs and mix to a smooth dough. Fill a bucket or the sink with cold water and place the dough in it (this is not a joke – it works) Wait a few minutes until the dough starts to float in the water. Take out the dough and mix in the sugar. Spread the dough on the baking sheet (buttered). Lay out the plums or other fruit, add the streusel and bake for 30 min. at 350 degrees and than check every few minutes until the dough is golden. I personaly like the dough soaked with the plum juices, so I prepare the plums and sugar them before I start with the dough. This also helps if the plums or not quiet ripe or very sour. Apples in slices work fine or try peeled, cut and sugared rhubarb. Don’t forget the whipped cream on top.

I finally made a Zwetschenkuchen and this recipe is wonderful; definitely a keeper. Ran out of plums so I added apples to complete. Tastes great as well, especially with the crumbs. Do you have any experiences with freezing this cake? Can make a few cakes and freeze for later! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Monika

Hi Ingrid, I’m slowly going through all of my recipes and including the metric measurements. I’ve just updated this one to include metric. Below the ingredients you’ll see the option in blue writing and can click on “metric.”

This is the exact recipe my Mom used for years. I feel the same about the plums, as you mentioned. I want to save and eat as many as possible. I am now gluten free so i am hoping that this recipe will work with my gluten free flour! Thank you so much for preserving this wonderful tradition of Fall Kuchen!

This is the exact recipe my Mom used for years. I feel the same about the plums, as you mentioned. I want to save and eat as many as possible. I am now gluten free so i am hoping that this recipe will work with my gluten free flour! Thank you so much for preserving this wonderful tradition of Fall Kuchen! I have a question:how well does this recipe freeze?

I halved the recipe and used a 13 x 9 glass baking dish. It worked out fine. The kuchen tasted like I remember my Oma’s tasting when I was a child. It was absolutely wonderful! My spouse liked it better the second day when the cinnamon came out a bit more. Thank you so much for the recipe.

Hi Kimberly, I have a question. Are the plums supposed to be very ripe? Some recipes call for tart plums but I find they don’t cook down fast enough and then the bread is too dry if you keep the kuchen in the oven too long. We have plum trees and this year the one that did best is the one named Brooks plum. It’s a huge Italian plum so quarters are large. I may cut them into fifths, maybe that will help. I will try your recipe and your method but if you have ever had this trouble of the fruit not being done before the bread and you have any suggestions…I am all ears. This is my favorite cake. Yes, born in Germany, lived in Augsburg. Mother passed, cannot ask her recipe questions. Glad I know what I do.

Hi Petra, yes, I use ripe plums because they’re sweeter but they’re still fairly firm and then fully soften during baking. If you haven’t been baking the cake on the middle oven rack, that is what I recommend to prevent the problem you’re describing.

I just stumbled onto your site, and it looks great! I look forward to perusing it further as I have time.

I make this recipe – very similar to yours – but I want to give yours a try. It looks wonderful! I just want to double-check the quantity of yeast: is 1 1/2 Tablespoons the correct amount? (I’m concerned it may be a little too much).

Do you have experience in freezing plums for szilvasgomboc/Zwetschgenknodel? When no plums are available, I use plum butter, but I was thinking it might be great to have frozen plums in the freezer that I can use for making the plum dumplings. I’m thinking they may get too soggy though. But I thought I’d ask you if you’ve tested it before I give it a try.

How about using frozen plums for the zwetschenkuchen? Have you ever tried that? Do you know if that would work? Would it be too soggy? I’ve used frozen cherries for a Hungarian cherry cake and frozen blueberries for a streusel blueberry buckle, so I wonder if frozen plums would work? (I’m thinking I would just just them frozen, without thawing, as I do the cherries and blueberries.)

Thank you, Carolyn! Yes, 1 1/2 tablespoons sounds like a lot but it is correct. I haven’t tried using frozen plums before so I’m not really sure. Like you, I have used frozen cherries and other berries and those work fine. So theoretically, as long as the plums are fully thawed and thoroughly drained they should be fine as well.

I have been in search of a Plum Cake recipe like the one my Omi used to make for me when I visited for the Summer. We can certainly go out and purchase Zwetschgen for this recipe, but I wanted to ask if you thought it could work successfully using other kinds of plums. My daughter has been harvesting plums from our neighbors garden, and we have more than we know what to do with, but these are just your traditional dark red skinned plums. I guess we can always just give it a try, but I would hate to waste the plums if you don’t think they will work. Thanks so much!!

Hello Kimberly – I love this recipe, but wonder if I can make the dough successfully with a hand mixer instead of a Kitchenade. It must be ok, since my Omi and Mom both made this cake (wir sind Deutsche!) Many thanks, Daniela

Pie filling! Use a spiced plum pie filling recipe, or the one you use for the plums on top of the Zwetschgenkuchen. Or combine the plums with peaches, pears, figs, whatever.

Here’s the secret:

Make your pie filling. Pour it into a ziplock bag and zip it shut. Lay the ziplock bag containing the filling on it’s side in a pie pan. Freeze the entire thing overnight. The next day, take the ziplock bag out of the pie pan. It will be the shape of the pie plate and you can take the plate out and leave the filling in the freezer to use when you like.

When it’s pie time, make a fresh crust, and put the frozen disc filling in its as you would fresh. The only difference between using frozen vs fresh is that frozen pie filling needs to be baked a little longer.

PIE!

Bake it at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it’s done. Plum pies seem to need to bake longer, so keep an eye on it and maybe bake a little longer if it needs it.

I always make these frozen fillings when I have a lot of fruit. It’s a fast solution plus PIE.

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Unless otherwise stated, all images, content and recipes are original and are the sole property of Kimberly Killebrew, daringgourmet.com. No photographs or other content may be used without prior written consent.